Jimmy Kimmel in Private: Fishbowl5 With Politico’s Patrick Gavin, So What Was he Like?

Politico‘s Patrick Gavin recently went out to LA for a sit-down interview with late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who will be the entertainment for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this weekend. We wondered about details a video can’t necessarily reveal. Like why does he look so thin? And what’s he like when the cameras are off? Watch the full interview with Kimmel, shot by Alex Trowbridge, here.

He looks smaller and skinnier in your interview than on regular TV. Wasthat your impression or has he lost weight? Most definitely. He actually has this sous vide machine thingy in his office where he cooks his fish and he attributes that to having helped him drop the lbs.

What was he like when the cameras weren’t rolling? Very much like he was on camera. Although he did drop on our way out that he was having dinner that night with Paul McCartney, which only left us with an intense feeling of jealousy.

Does he have a lot of handlers and what were they like? No, just one or two, if my memory serves me correctly. Very laid back atmosphere.

Where did you interview him — was it in Hollywood? What were the studioslike? It was in his studio on Hollywood Blvd. It’s a former temple that he has full use of so, while it’s technically a television studio, you feel like you’re in a castle. Best part is the impressive arcade/video game collection in the green room.

How do you think he’ll do on Saturday?He’s a funny guy with a staff of funny writers so I think he’ll pass that test. The question is how he’ll walk that line of “singe but not burn.” He’s done some roasts before on Comedy Central, so if he pulls out any of that edginess, we’ll recall those innocent days of Colbert in 2006.